Betting Lines Formed For 2014 Budweiser Duels At Daytona

All eyes will on Daytona International Speedway this week as the start of the new Sprint Cup season gets underway. The big event is the 2014 Daytona 500 this Sunday, February 23. Prior to the running of the Great American Race, there will be several other notable events. These include the Camping Truck Series event on Friday, and a Nationwide race on Saturday. But even before that, the order for the starting grid of the Daytona 500 will be determined through a series of two races on Thursday, February 20.

The Budweiser Duels are the most famous qualifying races in NASCAR They determine the starting grid for the Daytona 500 outside of the pole position and the outside first position. The field of 43 drivers is divided up into two groups. Both duels will be conducted on Thursday.

The pole position for the 2014 Daytona 500 was won by Austin Dillon, who drives the No.3 car. That No.3 car was made famous by the late Dale Earnhardt. After qualifying first with a top speed of 196.019 mph, Dillon has his spot secured.

On the outside of Dillon will be Martin Truex Jr.

The Budweiser Duels will race under the light at Daytona on Thursday night beginning at 7pm ET. Coverage will be picked up by Fox Sports 1.

The betting lines to win each of the Budweiser Duels have been formed at Bovada Sportsbook. In Duel #1, it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. that leads the way, going off at 5/2 to claim the win. other top contenders include Kevin Harvick (11/2) Kyle Busch (11/2), and Matt Kenseth (11/2). All four of the top favorites in Duel #1 have experience winning the Daytona 500.

In Duel #2 Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson are the co-favorites. Like Earnhardt, the favorites in Duel #2 are also set with odds at 5/1. Johnson comes in as the defending Daytona 500 champion + Sprint Cup champion, which was the six of his career.

Of note, Danica Patrick is in the Duel #1 race, set at 33/1 to win the qualifier. Patrick has been in the news recently responding to criticism from former NASCAR great Richard Petty. Petty claimed that Patrick would only win a race if she was the only one on the track. Patrick will look to prove the doubters wrong beginning with the run on Thursday.

Adjusted 2014 Daytona 500 betting lines will likely be formed after the completion of the Budweiser Duels. The odds aren’t likely to change much, but Bovada will release the updated betting lines sometime on Friday. This is the opportunity to get in on the action now though, and secure a solid profit margin.

Below, LatestBettingOdds.com has the complete set of betting lines for the week’s races at Daytona International Speedway.